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(Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune) Share Article By Jim Paulsen and Marcus Fuller The Minnesota Star Tribune November 6, 2025 at 4:41 PM Four teams in Class 4A played Thursday morning for a trip to Saturday’s state championship. Two were victorious: Lakeville South and Prior Lake. Others in 4A continue their seasons in the consolation bracket. Also Thursday, the quarterfinals begin for the smaller schools. See the schedule below. Follow live scoring of each game on Strib Varsity. View brackets for the state tournaments here, or catch up on what happened on the opening day of the tournament Wednesday. All games are streamed live on NSPN. Thursday’s schedule Class 4A semifinals: 9 a.m. Lakeville South 3, Roseville 0; 11 a.m.: Prior Lake 3, Apple Valley 1 Class 2A quarterfinals: 1 p.m. Hawley 3, New London-Spicer 0; New Life Academy 3, Southwest Christian 2; 3 p.m. Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted vs. Albany; Esko vs. Chatfield ADVERTISEMENT Class 1A quarterfinals: 5 p.m. North Woods vs. Mayer Lutheran; Cleveland vs. Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa; 7 p.m. Nevis vs. Russell-Tyler-Ruthton; Ada-Borup-West vs. Fillmore Central Extra reading: All-Minnesota girls volleyball team; Predicting the state tournament winners. Friday’s schedule Related Coverage Live: Updates from the girls volleyball state tournament at Grand Casino Arena State quarterfinals in two biggest classes produce one big surprise State tournaments: Strib Varsity goes round-by-round with a forecast All-Minnesota Player of the Year in girls volleyball: Centennial’s Elena Hoecke All-Minnesota Team: Strib Varsity's selection of the best 25 players Class 3A semifinals: 9 a.m. Cretin-Derham Hall vs. Marshall; 11 a.m. Stewartville vs. Benilde-St. Margaret’s Class 1A semifinals: 1 p.m.; 3 p.m. Class 2A semifinals: 5 p.m., New Life Academy vs. Hawley; 7 p.m. Introducing Strib Varsity’s 2025-26 girls hockey Dream TeamGirls Hockey Live: Updates from the girls volleyball state tournament at Grand Casino ArenaGirls Volleyball State quarterfinals in two biggest classes produce one big surpriseGirls Volleyball The preseason Minnesota Top 25 mixes champions and challengersGirls Hockey Saturday’s schedule Class 1A championship: 2:30 p.m. Class 2A championship: 3 p.m. Class 3A championship: 6:30 p.m. Class 4A championship: 7 p.m. Prior Lake vs. Lakeville South New Life Academy players celebrate after winning the third set of a Class 2A quarterfinal against Southwest Christian. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune) 4th Set: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 26, Albany 24 Match is tied 2-2 Seventh seed Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted pushed back in the fourth set and sent the match to set No. 5. Albany, the No. 2 seed, also lost the second set. 5th Set: New Life Academy 17, Southwest Christian 15 New Life Academy wins match 3-2 Southwest Christian had a two-set lead to start the match, but that wasn’t enough to tear down the spirit of New Life Academy. The Eagles trailed 14-11 in the fifth set, but they went on a 6-1 run to advance to the semifinals for the first time. Ryleigh Schelhaas finished with 21 kills and Alexa Lilly and Marisa Michaelis added 13 kills apiece. Vana Jensen had 50 assists. — Marcus Fuller 2nd Set: Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted 25, Albany 20 Match is tied 1-1 No. 2 seed Albany was shocked in the second set by No. 7 seed Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted after winning the first set 25-12. The Lancers, making their first state tournament appearance, had 17 kills combined from Ava Fiecke, Alaina Koch and Izzy Scheuch. They survived Brynn Panek’s 11 kills in the opening set. — Marcus Fuller 5th Set: Southwest Christian 8, New Life Academy 6 Match is tied 2-2 Southwest Christian got big back-to-back kills from Lydia Johnson to take a brief lead after trailing early in the final set. — Marcus Fuller 4th Set: New Life Academy 25, Southwest Christian 21 Match is tied 2-2 The Eagles used clutch defense to force a fifth set in Thursday’s Class 2A quarterfinal. The Beckering sisters were tough to stop all match, but two late blocks were huge to extend the match. Grace Baur, Ryleigh Schelhaas and Jada Mitchell recorded key rejections for NLA. — Marcus Fuller New Life Academy’s Vana Jensen (7) sends the ball over the net in the fourth set against Southwest Christian. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune) 4th Set: New Life Academy 18, Southwest Christian 16 SW Christian leads match 2-1 Nothing is more dangerous than a team with its backs against the wall. New Life Academy looked like it was playing freely with no pressure in taking a 17-12 lead in the fourth set. But the Stars wouldn’t let them pull away. Avery Beckering is up to 18 kills. — Marcus Fuller 4th Set: New Life Academy 13, Southwest Christian 9 SW Christian leads match 2-1 New Life Academy carried its momentum from the third set to take a 6-3 lead, but Southwest Christian answered with four straight points. The Eagles would’ve folded earlier if they lost the lead so quickly. Not this time. Alexa Lilly’s up to 13 kills. Jada Mitchell’s two aces give her team the biggest lead of the set. — Marcus Fuller 3rd Set: New Life Academy 26, Southwest Christian 24 SW Christian leads match 2-1 New Life Academy had several weapons it could go to down the stretch to keep from getting swept in Thursday’s quarterfinals. The Stars tied it 24-24, but the Eagles kept their match alive with big points from Jada Mitchell and Vana Jensen, who weren’t among their three kill leaders in the match. Talk about balance. — Marcus Fuller 3rd Set: New Life Academy 22, Southwest Christian 20 SW Christian leads match 2-0 A tremendously even third set between Southwest Christian and New Life Academy has seen both teams make only four attack errors. Ryleigh Schelhaas became the third NLA player with double figures in kills to give her team the narrow advantage late. — Marcus Fuller Southwest Christian’s Sophia McIntosh handles the the ball in the third set against New Life Academy.(Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune) 3rd Set: Southwest Christian 11, New Life Academy 11 SW Christian leads match 2-0. The Eagles trailed 4-1 to start the third set, but Marissa Michaelis got her offense going to spark her teammates. They were 8-for-16 to open the set, getting the New Life Academy section energized. — Marcus Fuller 2nd Set: Southwest Christian 25, New Life Academy 16 SW Christian leads match 2-0 Southwest Christian never let New Life Academy get closer than a few points in the second set. The Stars have been formidable at the net behind Breanna and Avery Beckering, who enter the third set with a combined 20 kills. The Stars hit an impressive .440% in the second set. — Marcus Fuller 2nd Set: Southwest Christian 16, New Life Academy 9 SW Christian leads match 1-0 During the opening of the second set, the Stars made sure the Eagles didn’t gather any momentum, considering how close it was in the first set. New Life Academy hasn’t been able to get Marisa Michaelis going. She had 300 kills entering the state tournament. – Marcus Fuller 3rd Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 15 Hawley wins match 3-0 The Nuggets started their quest for a second straight state title with a sweep in Thursday’s opening match against New London-Spicer at Grand Casino Arena. They have won four straight matches since the regular season-ending loss against Minnewaska. Katie Vetter had 13 kills and 14 digs. Stella Flemming finished with 29 assists. — Marcus Fuller Southwest Christian’s Sophia McIntosh (4) tips the ball over the net as New Life Academy’s Alexa Lilly (13) leaps to defend in the first set. (Anthony Souffle/The Minnesota Star Tribune) 1st Set: Southwest Christian 25, New Life Academy 22 Southwest Christian and New Life Academy were in a back-and-forth first set in the other Class 2A quarterfinal Thursday afternoon. The Stars, who finished as state runner-up last year, led 6-2 early but found themselves behind 19-17 late before going on a 6-1 run led by Breanna Beckering, who had seven kills in the set. The Eagles got within 23-22, but they couldn’t stop Beckering in the end. — Marcus Fuller 3rd Set: Hawley 17, New London-Spicer 9 Hawley leads match 2-0 The Nuggets started off the third set hitting an impressive .375 while Katie Vetter took control offensively, getting into double figures in kills. — Marcus Fuller 2nd Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 18 Hawley leads match 2-0 The Nuggets had six errors and saw their hitting percentage fall to .207 in the match after a sloppy end to the second set, but they finished strong to take a 2-0 lead. Hawley setter Stella Flemming, who had nearly 800 assists entering the state tournament, spread the ball around to find the hot hand late. — Marcus Fuller 2nd Set: Hawley 22, New London-Spicer 18 Both teams entered Wednesday’s quarterfinals on a winning streak, but New London-Spicer really turned its season around with seven consecutive wins after a five-match losing streak. Hawley tried not to let its upset-minded opponent get confident, but the Wildcats scored five straight points just when the second set seemed out of reach. — Marcus Fuller How Prior Lake advanced to the 4A final Prior Lake popped Apple Valley’s dream bubble in the Class 4A volleyball semifinals Thursday, rallying from a first-set loss to win three sets in a row and advance to Saturday’s Class 4A championship match with a 14-25, 25-22, 26-24, 25-14 victory. Apple Valley was making its first state tournament appearance in nearly a quarter-century. The Eagles played what could have been called the highlight match of Wednesday’s quarterfinals, upsetting No. 2 seed East Ridge by rallying in the fourth and fifth set. The good mojo that propelled them forward the quarterfinals lingered early in the semifinals. The Eagles bolted to a 7-0 lead, forcing Prior Lake coach Mike Dean to call a timeout to help his team regroup. Prior Lake had defeated Apple Valley in three sets in October. The Lakers players needed to settle in and play the way they did in that previous match. “That first set, we came out and gave them a little something to feel good about,” Prior Lake coach Mike Dean said. His well-timed pause appeared to break the spell. Apple Valley went on to win the first set 25-14, but Prior Lake found its usual self in the second set and took control of the match thereafter. “That really spoke to the maturity and the resilience that this team has,” Dean said. Prior Lake’s block at the net proved to be a wall Apple Valley couldn’t scale. “They got a few core touches on the block, so that forced us to modify our offense a little more,” Apple Valley coach Hannah Specktor said. The loss didn’t diminish what the Apple Valley players accomplished. “We’re making history at Apple Valley. It’s been 24 years since we’ve been in the state semifinals.” senior hitter Sophie Monson said. “It’s big knowing we were part of the team that brought the state tournament back to our school.” — Jim Paulsen 2nd Set: Hawley 13, New London-Spicer 2 All-state junior outside hitter Katie Vetter started off strong in the second set with three kills in the first six points for Hawley. The Wildcats were struggling to find consistency on offense, hitting .065 for the match. The Nuggets also dominated with five aces. — Marcus Fuller 1st Set: Hawley 25, New London-Spicer 18 Hawley leads match 1-0 Hawley led by eight points late in the opening set before it was outscored 4-0 — a little too close for comfort — against New London-Spicer. The Wildcats got within 22-18, but the Nuggets finished with three straight points for the 1-0 lead. Katie Vetter, Annaka Johnson and McKenna Walker were tied with three kills each in a balanced attack. — Marcus Fuller 1st Set: Hawley 14, New London-Spicer 11 The defending Class 2A champion and top-seeded Nuggets found themselves in a battle from the start against No. 8 seed New London-Spicer, which made the state tournament last season. Hawley rattled off three straight points to get some separation after it was tied 10-10 midway through the first set. — Marcus Fuller 4th Set: Prior Lake, 25, Apple Valley 15 Prior Lake wins match 3-1 After a slow start, Prior Lake rallied to win the final three sets and advance to Saturday’s Class 4A championship match against Lakeville South. The Lakers used a two-headed attack to pull away from Apple Valley, getting 17 kills from Addison Barbow and 16 from Dylan Raveling. — Jim Paulsen 3rd Set: Prior Lake 26, Apple Valley 24 Prior Lake leads match 2-1 A kill by Prior Lake’s Dylan Raveling ended a terrific, back-and-forth third set. Raveling and Addison Barbow have 11 kills each for Prior Lake. Apple Valley’s Sophia Cowan is the kills leader for the entire match with 21. — Jim Paulsen 2nd Set: Prior Lake 25, Apple Valley 22 Match is tied 1-1 The Lakers came back with energy in the second set, matching what Apple Valley was bringing. Prior Lake built a 23-16 lead, then held on through a late Apple Valley rally. — Jim Paulsen How Lakeville South advanced to the 4A final As the defending state champ in Class 4A, and loaded with an enviable cache of volleyball talent, Lakeville South’s plan for repeating included an important lesson, coach Stephen Willingham said: The Cougars were going to be the focus of every team they played this season. Dealing with the extra attention is part of being a champion. “Our coaches always tell us, ‘You have a target on your backs. Everybody is gonna play their best against you because they want to take that championship,’ ” junior middle blocker Grace Hertaus said. The Cougars took the best Roseville had to offer and still came away with a 25-13, 25-19, 25-22 victory. Roseville played fearlessly, even taking a late 21-17 lead in the third set, but bigger Lakeville South wore them down. “We’re prepped for that,” Herthaus said. “We’re ready for them to show us their best, but then, we have to give our best game, too.” Lakeville South’s best proved too much for Roseville, no matter how determined the Raiders were. “We are so tough and gritty. I think we were so well prepared and we had the right mindset, but we lost a little bit of the special sauce that makes us who we are,” Roseville coach Greg Ueland said. Romi Chlebecek and Elle Utecht each had 12 kills for Lakeville South, which dominated at the net with 18 blocks, forcing Roseville to work for every point it got. The Raiders had a -.044 hitting percentage. “It can be daunting, because you work your butts off and it doesn’t quite work,” Ueland admitted. “Lakeville South is a great team. But it can drain you, right?” — Jim Paulsen 1st Set: Apple Valley 25, Prior Lake 14 Apple Valley leads match 1-0 The Eagles continued their strong state tournament play with a convincing 25-14 victory over Prior Lake. Sophia Cowan was wonderful in the first set, going 10-for-10 on attacks. — Jim Paulsen 1st Set: Apple Valley 8, Prior Lake 6 Apple Valley picked up right where it left off Wednesday, bolting to a 7-0 lead. The Eagles rallied to win their quarterfinal match over East Ridge with a near-perfect performance in the fourth and fifth set. Prior Lake took a timeout and came back with five straight points. — Jim Paulsen 3rd Set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 22 Lakeville South wins match 3-0 Roseville managed to build a four-point lead, 21-17, but Lakeville South responded with terrific defense and solid hitting to pull out the final set. Romi Chlebecek and Elle Utecht each had 12 kills for Lakeville South while Kaelyn Bjorklund had 26 set assists. — Jim Paulsen 3rd Set: Lakeville South 16, Roseville 14 As has been the case all match, Roseville starts out determined to match Lakeville South point for point, but that’s a tall order for an entire set. A slump or a bad matchup on a rotation and suddenly the Lakeville South lead starts to grow. — Jim Paulsen 2nd Set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 19 Lakeville South leads match 2-0 Gotta say this for Roseville: The Raiders are scrappy. They don’t back down. No team owned a lead of more than two points until the end of the set. Roseville actually led 17-16 before a 4-0 run by the Cougars drained the Raiders’ momentum. Romi Chlebecek leads Lakeville South with eight kills. — Jim Paulsen 2nd Set: Lakeville South 9, Roseville 8 Roseville is changing up its attack, trying to counter Lakeville South’s imposing block by moving the the Cougars side to side. But the Cougars have seen this tactic all year and know how to deal with it. How big is Lakeville South? The Cougars on the floor go 5-11, 5-11, 5-10, 6-1 and 6-2. The only small player is libero Amanda Cullen, who is 5-2. — Jim Paulsen 1st Set: Lakeville South 25, Roseville 13 Lakeville South leads match 1-0 It was a dominant first set for Lakeville South. Romi Chlebecek and Elle Utecht paced the Cougars’ attack with four kills each. — Jim Paulsen 1st Set: Lakeville South 16, Roseville 9 The defending Class 4A champion Cougars’ strong game at the net, putting up a block that is giving Roseville difficulty, has resulted in an early Lakeville South lead. Roseville needs to find different routes to hit around the block. — Jim Paulsen Share Article LinkedInComment About the Authors Jim Paulsen Jim Paulsen is a high school sports reporter for the Minnesota Star Tribune.See More Marcus Fuller Marcus Fuller is Strib Varsity's Insider reporter,providing high school beat coverage, features, analysis and recruiting updates. He's a former longtime Gophers and college sports writer for the Minnesota Star Tribune.See More More From Girls Volleyball Volleyball semifinal pairings are set in two biggest classesGirls Volleyball Volleyball state tournaments: brackets and Strib Varsity predictionsGirls Volleyball All-Minnesota Player of the Year in girls volleyball: Centennial’s Elena HoeckeGirls Volleyball Meet the 2025 Strib Varsity All-Minnesota girls volleyball teamGirls Volleyball Strib Varsity Homepage Social Navigation About Strib Varsity Advertising & Sponsorships Strib Store Quick Links Sports Hubs Livestreams Admin Login Manage Account Support Center Report a Correction The Minnesota Star Tribune © 2025 StarTribune. All rights reserved. Utility Navigation Accessibility Cookie Settings Privacy Policy Terms of Use
